15 Ways to Use Honey Only Few People Know About, but Now You Will Too

Most people are aware of how amazing honey is for sweetening your food when you don’t want to use sugar or how perfectly it softens your cakes and cookies. But honey is so much more than just a tasty treat, it has dozens of other uses due to its healing and antibiotic properties. No wonder that in Ancient Egypt it was used as a medicine more often than any other substance.

We at Bright Side collected 15 unusual uses for honey that you might want to experiment with at your own house.

1. Honey can be used to make cough drops.

Honey is well known for its help with soothing an awful cough and sore throat. If you want to make natural cough drops, you might want to peek at this recipe right here.

2. Honey helps fight hangovers.

Due to the high level of fructose contained in honey, eating a tablespoon of honey or dissolving it in tea (which is even better, because this way you get hydrated) will help your body process the alcohol much faster and neutralize the toxins in it. This could remove your morning hangover completely or speed up the process of getting rid of it.

3. Honey as a facial scrub and mask

Did you know that honey can be used as a cleansing scrub or a moisturizing mask for the face? Unlike most chemical-based scrubs and masks, honey is all natural and an antibiotic. It removes dead skin cells, bacteria, and impurities.

If you’d like to try it out yourself, here’s an idea for a honey and oatmeal scrub and a raw honey and coconut oil mask.

4. Honey as an antibiotic

Honey can be applied to a wound to speed up healing and prevent bacteria from spreading. Tests have shown that honey can prevent the spread of or even kill bacteria like E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus. In addition, due to its gyroscopic nature, raw or manuka honey can act as an antibiotic if applied directly to a cut or wound. When you buy honey, remember that the darker the honey, the stronger its antibacterial properties are.

5. Honey as a diet aid

One truly unexpected use of honey is using it to speed up your metabolism, which is great news for anyone on a diet. Green tea also speeds up your metabolism, so if you drink it with honey it will work as a double boost for your body.

6. Honey relieves insomnia.

Those people who suffer from insomnia should eat or drink some honey before going to bed. The sugar contained in honey stimulates the production of serotonin, the neurotransmitter responsible for your good mood that your body converts to melatonin, an important chemical responsible for sleep. Even more melatonin is produced when the brain processes the tryptophan from honey into serotonin.

7. Honey helps scars fade.

If you have visible acne scars and you want them to become less noticeable, rub a mixture of equal parts honey and coconut or olive oil into the skin. Cover this area with a warm compress and keep the mixture on the scar for 15 minutes to lighten the color of the scar.

You can find a great example of the importance of honey in acne treatment here. The woman uses various products to reduce the inflammation, amongst which is Manuka honey. She leaves the honey on her face as a mask for 20-30 minutes because of its antibacterial properties.

8. Honey improves vision.

Ayurveda experts appreciate honey for its help in improving vision. It can even remove things from the eye if the eye is washed with a mixture of water and honey. Honey mixed with carrot juice (another useful product for vision) helps in the treatment of conjunctivitis, glaucoma, and fatigue from spending a lot of time at the computer or in front of the TV.

9. Honey neutralizes bad breath.

The antibacterial properties of honey are useful in eliminating bad breath. This unusual use of honey involves preparing a mouthwash consisting of 1 tsp of honey, 1/8 tsp of cinnamon, and half a cup of warm water. The advantage of this method is that your breath will have the pleasant aroma of cinnamon.

10. Honey can be used to moisturize elbows and dry skin.

Millions of people face the problem of dry skin on their elbows, resulting in millions, if not billions of dollars spent on moisturizing skin cream. If you prefer a more natural method of eliminating this problem, rub honey or a mixture of honey and yogurt into the skin on the elbows, knees, and other dry areas. Leave it on these places for 15-30 minutes and you will be pleasantly surprised by the moisturizing effect.

11. Honey is a natural “Red Bull.”

Due to the fact that honey contains glucose and fructose, which are absorbed directly into the bloodstream and don’t break down, it can fill of our body with energy and give us a short-term energy surge. This is especially appreciated by marathon participants and athletes.

12. Honey helps to preserve fruits.

Honey never ceases to amaze us. You can use honey to jar berries if you preserve them in a mixture of honey and water at a ratio of 1:10. Try this with blueberries and raspberries that were collected in the summer, and we can promise that you will love this delicious winter treat.

13. Honey can be used to make lip balm at home.

During the winter months, many people complain about dry or chapped lips and often use lip balms to reduce discomfort. But did you know that you can prepare your own lip balm at home? Mix honey with wax, coconut oil, vitamin E, and olive oil and apply this balm to your lips, which will help them stay soft and hydrated. Or you can try some of these other excellent ideas for honey lip balms.

14. Honey helps get rid of dandruff.

Honey is so wonderful and it is proven to help with the exhausting problem of dandruff. If you have dandruff or dry scalp, rub a mixture of 90% honey and 10% warm water into your hair. Rinse your head 3 hours later. Afterward you should feel less itching and the dandruff should pass within a week.

15. Honey as a replacement for shaving cream

The price of shaving creams goes beyond all limits. If you decide to go with something less expensive and much more natural, do it with the final unusual use of honey on our list! To prepare a replacement for shaving cream, mix honey and warm water to make a natural cream. The viscosity of honey should prevent irritation and help to moisturize the skin.

If you have any other ideas for unusual uses for honey, please share them in the comments below.